Flash Fiction Submission Guidelines

Maternal Spark is now accepting Flash Fiction submissions. Pieces should be no more than 500 words and must be a complete story from beginning to end with characters and a plot. Please note that while Maternal Spark is all about Creative Motherhood - your flash fiction can be about whatever topic you like. In fact, I encourage you to write about something other than Motherhood.

Please copy and paste your flash into the body of an email and send it to: heddy.e[at]gmail[dot]com

Include: Name, email address, link to your blog or website and short, 50 word bio.

Use the subject line "Flash Fiction".

At this time, Maternal Spark is only accepting the writing of Moms. If you are not a mom (or pregnant) - I'm sorry you'll have to try again later.

You will receive a response to your submission within 30 days. Please don't worry about technical details too much. I'm really just looking for great stories.

I look forward to reading your work. Submit away!

Throwing it out here - what do you think?

I've been toying with the idea of accepting fiction submissions here at Maternal Spark. I'm thinking about flash fiction pieces which are no more than 500 words. I love the short format of flash fiction and it can be really creative and even busy Creative Moms can manage to complete a piece.

I would like to read pieces written by moms - not necessarily about motherhood although I'd consider those as well.

So, what do you think? Would you read them? Look forward to them? Submit them? Let me know eh?





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How to Encourage a Love of Reading by Nurturing an Interest in Storytelling.

A fantastic way to show your child the virtue of reading is by developing their love for a good story. Not only does an interest in storytelling encourage curiosity for what's between the pages of a book but nurturing that interest will also give kids some creative problem solving ideas as well.

Creativity is a skill. Use it often and it will grow, multiply and become stronger until creative approaches to challenges become almost instinctual. Ignored, this skill withers and becomes wrought with second guesses, dead end walls and the feeling of not knowing where to begin.

To me, beginning is the hardest part. Once I get rolling a story often takes on a life of it's own. So in helping your kids to come up with a story where do you begin? You begin with DreamStarters.

The DreamStarter Book: by Jennifer Karin Sidford is a collection of 50 story beginnings.

Here is what Jennifer has to say about her book:

In truth, DreamStarters began out of desperation and an inability to pull a creative thought from my brain at the end of a busy day. The day had come when my kids (three boys, ages seven to fifteen) had mastered reading, and they no longer needed me to read them chapters from their favorite books. Instead, they asked me to tell them a story. At bedtime I would begin the story, then (struggling to come up with something compelling and worthy of serious Harry Potter fans) I would ask my kids to tell me what happened next. What began as a solution to my creative drought turned into a favorite family tradition.

Soon DreamStarters made its way to the dinner table, as we found it was a great way to keep our kids engaged at the table a few precious minutes more. Even my teenager stayed to present his own plot twists!

Here's one of the DreamStarters from the book. This one is called "Ice Wind"

Justin and Nicole were hiking toward the top of their favorite mountain when the wind
began to blow. At first, the wind was light and warm, but it soon became fierce and bitter
cold. Even though it was summer, the wind turned everything around them to ice.
“There’s a cave,” Justin yelled to Nicole over the high-pitched scream of the wind.
They leaned into each other as they walked, bracing their weight against the powerful
gusts. The cave’s entrance was covered with icy vines that refused to move. Justin pulled out
his Swiss Army Knife and cut through the vines. From deep within the cave came a blast of
warm air. Justin pushed Nicole into the cave and followed next. It was very dark, and the
warm air smelled damp and…

Is this not a great idea? Engage with your kids. Spend time on something together. Encourage siblings to work towards a conclusion. Show them that daydreaming and being creative is something to indulge in. How could they not enjoy this activity and how could it not develop an interest in story and the written word?

Want a copy of the book? I have one to giveaway! And yes, it's signed :) To be eligible to win, visit the DreamStarters Website and read through this reader submitted DreamStarter. Come back here and tell us in comments what you see happening next. Make sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner.

Bloggers, get an extra entry by posting about DreamStarters on your blog. Leave a separate comment with your url for it to be counted.

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Monday's Muse - the Meme for Creative Moms

Image via Wikipedia

Read about the Meme.

It's quiet in the insulated way the snow brings. I know it's out there before I even rise and make my way to the window. Parting the curtains reveals a white and foreign landscape. It's fresh. Clean.

The icy sheath hides the dirt and dead plants away, hides anything that isn't pure.

All is white but one black squirrel in the center of it all.

The squirrel is digging frantically down to the grass and then through to the earth. It's burying treasure while the dirt will still move. Down goes the bits stolen from bird feeders and brazenly pilfered from outside cat dishes. Peanuts, sunflower seeds and kibble become packed into a musty treasure chest, ready for a later meal.

He works to conceal these pockets of nourishment. He plans for enough to last through to when the snow becomes damp, and the buds form on the trees, and the grass begins to sprout. He plans for enough to last until the nests are filled with eggs and sweet, tender chicks. Until then, he remains busy. Until then, thievery and frozen cat food will have to do and he sits, punctuation in the white, until his job is done.

Today a piece of writing was inspired by the snow. I don't really know what it is, it's sort of 'stream of consciousness' I guess. Just a little bit that trickled down from my mind and though my fingers to the keys. An observation about how when everything seems pure, there is always a touch of the sinister around. Did you know squirrels sometimes eat baby birds?

The snow was my muse, what's yours? Leave your link below to share.



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You've just got to hear this

In my post - A Simple Way to Jump Start your Creativity
I write about how changing something in your environment can spur on creative feelings. One thing I find easy to change up is the music I listen to as I work. Normally I love classic rock, modern rock - any kind of rock really. I find the intensity of it provides me with a certain energy that I hope carries over to what I'm writing. If I'm not listening to rock, then it's classical I go for. The piano especially. I'm not really sure why, I just like it - mostly when I'm writing fiction.

Recently I've learned of Rebecca Martin. Her music is completely outside my standard rotation and I'm absolutely loving her CD The Growing Season. Her voice is like placing a premium dark chocolate on your tongue. At first it's sweet, then you feel the edge and it melts into smoothness and delight all at once. I'm elevated with the jazzy energy and spunk mixed with the piano I love so much - a perfect compliment to her voice. Rebecca is a mom and an artist who not only follows her passion in terms of music but she also spearheaded a civic community group to raise awareness of safety issues in her neighborhood. You can feel her passion in her songs and if even a 1/4 of that trickles through me into my work then it's all the better for it.

Rebecca and Shore Fire Media have provided an MP3 download for her song aptly titled "The Space in a Song to Think." Go ahead, grab it and have a listen. I'm interested to hear what you guys think of it.


I'm also pleased to say, I have a copy of Growing Season for one lucky Maternal Spark reader! This CD will go to an email subscriber. If you already get the RSS feed via email then you're entered. There's nothing else to do. If you don't get Maternal Spark via email, add your address to that box up there in the right hand corner, the one that says "Get Maternal Spark via Email", and you'll be entered to win. I'll draw the winner on Nov 30th.



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Maternal Spark in the Blogosphere

What a week! Maternal Spark had mentions all over the place.

My "Chicken or Egg" post which described my mental struggle with Little H's nightlight was chosen as the first "Featured Neurotic Mom Moment" over at The Neurotic Mom. I'm so proud to be the first in such a fun series!

I blushed reading the featured Design Focus over at Apron Strings Aflutter - the designer of the new Mercantile Spark blog.

and

I had a guest post go live at The Velveteen Mind. Megan is having guests at her place all month and I am finding myself in great company. Come check out my nut factor.

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Some very fun posts are in the works

I wanted to just do up a quick post to let you know that I'm working on some fun things for the near future. You see, when I started this blog I had a vague plan of what I wanted to write about. I feel that I've slowly lost a little focus here and there and life got busy and new plans started up and over time, I've moved away from my original goals for Maternal Spark. Now I want to get back on track and I have a new plan of action. I'll be focusing a little more on the core ideas of Creativity and Motherhood by writing a few article style posts.

While I still love hosting giveaways, they will now be posted on weekends only. (If you have a giveaway hosted with me, watch for an email with your new dates outlined. Most will only be moved a few days here and there)

I'll still be showcasing the Featured Moms as scheduled :)

I hope you'll all come along as we explore the intricacies of being a Creative Mother.

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10 Tips for Gluten Free eating in Restaurants

I wrote this article in honor of Celiacs Awareness month (did you know it's Celiacs Awareness month??) and it was also posted on the front page of Posh Mama - a positive and upbeat community for women. If you haven't heard of it you should check it out. Loads of great stuff to read there. Anyway. Here's one for the Celiacs!

10 Tips for Gluten Free Eating in Restaurants

Whenever we go out for dinner with my dad and my sister (who both have Celiacs) there is this unspoken tension at the table because we are all worried about what they will be ‘stuck’ eating. Typically, there is only one gluten free meal on the menu; a salad with fish on it. More often than not, it arrives at the table topped with evil croûtons and then we all sigh in frustration.

While I myself do not have Celiacs, I’ve become aware of a few gluten free living tips, as we’ve enjoyed more than one disappointing family dinner out. Here are 10 tips for gluten free eating in restaurants:

1. Avoid pubs or places that tend to deep-fry everything in one fryer. While you should be able to eat cornstarch dusted calamari – the fact that they fry it right alongside the chicken fingers makes it likely to be contaminated.

2. If possible, choose higher end or larger chain restaurants as their staff are usually trained in how to serve clients with food allergies and intolerances.

3. Make sure to tell your server that you have Celiacs. They should be informed of the ingredients for the dishes on the menu and can help you choose something that will work for you.

4. Ask if there is a rice pasta alternative. You’d be surprised how many restaurants stock rice pasta as a substitution and you’ll double your choices with a pasta option.

5. Many dishes will be gluten free once something is removed. Sometimes a sauce can be substituted for a gluten free alternative from another dish. Ask for squeezed lemon instead of teriyaki sauce on your salmon or for your stir fry to be nestled on a bed of rice instead of noodles.

6. Stick to foods that are healthy and unprocessed. You will be better off with a chicken breast instead of a burger.

7. Sometimes the meal itself will be gluten free but your plate will come with a garnish that isn’t Celiac friendly. This is where it’s important to tell your server about your intolerance so you don’t wind up with a surprise piece of gnarly bread poking out of your soup.

8. There’s more to dessert than cake. Don’t be afraid to look at the desert menu as gelato, mousses and sometimes even cheesecake can be gluten free.

9. Watch your beverages. Be sure you know what ingredients are in that mixed cocktail.

10. Always specify no croûtons on your salad – it’s an often overlooked source of gluten. Trust me!

Written by H.E.Eigler of Maternal Spark dot com a blog for and about Creative Moms as featured at Posh Mama Online Magazine.

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One for the Writer Moms - Paying Market - ApronStrings Mag

If you are looking for somewhere to submit your writings on motherhood check out ApronStrings Magazine. It's new and although the website looks a bit rough, the premise behind the mag is great.

From their Mission Statement:

ApronStrings is a magazine for mothers with a mission to portray the rich and varied experiences of women as they adjust to motherhood. We want to make this very different to other parenting magazines which are filled with the usual product pushing and often patronizing, advice-filled columns.

There is more so check out the writer's guidelines. Payment will be agreed with the author prior to publication. At present they are looking at approx €60 - €100 per essay, depending on length.
ApronStrings Magazine is based in Ireland but is accepting submissions from international writers. All the best to those who submit!


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A writing update - Chicken Soup for the Power Mom's Soul

As you know, I submitted a story to the Chicken Soup anthology group for their Power Mom issue. Yesterday, I received an email asking me to sign and fax a Permissions Release Agreement (for copyright stuff). They also asked if I would like to approve any edits made. This means I'm outta the slush pile and moving forward! Yay!

It doesn't guarantee that they've accepted me for publication for sure, but it does mean I'm in the running so I am pretty damn pleased about that.

Everyone think happy publishing thoughts for me - I could use a good credit for my writing resume and this would fit the bill!

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Scatterbrained - a Creative Funk

Lately I've found myself a little out of focus. I flit around from one idea to the next, never falling completely in love with any of them. One moment I want to sew, and then I sit down at the machine and find myself annoyed with my bobbin thread and lose interest really quickly.
Then I'll pull up good old 'Word' on my laptop but start daydreaming of the books I got for my birthday. I'll read a couple paragraphs and realize I'm hungry or thirsty and put the book down having not really allowed myself to ingest the words.

This isn't like me.

I'm a know what I want and grab for it kinda girl. And it's not even the knowing what I want part that's the problem...it's the grabbing.

I want to write.
I want to sew.
I want to read.

So why aren't I?

Hmmm. I don't want to make a bunch of excuses for my pathetic failures to produce, enjoy or partake but I will spend some time pondering this lack of ambition. Yesterday I wrote about Creativity Killers and going over that list there are one or two that stand out for me, mainly fatigue and chaos. There's been chaos at work and it's making me damn tired. Little H has been overly cranky and not sleeping well. That's making me tired too. Still, I've gotten past those things before and I'm sure I will this time. Maybe my creative stars are out of alignment and I'll just have to wait it out. In the meantime, I'll try to surround myself with inspiring things, sights and sounds.

How are you fairing these days? Are you meeting your goals?

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Monday Muse-ings Meme - The debut edition

I thought it would be fun to post something that inspires me every Monday. Something that when I look at it, or read it, I feel all warm and fuzzy and excited to let my mind play in the creative park. Something that awakens the muse.

It will be a virtual version of that inspiration board I wrote about the other day. Join in if you like and I'll link back to you. I'm not in love with the name so if you have a better idea let me know.

I'll start the ball rolling with this picture:



Some of you might remember this image as I've posted it around the net before. This is the image that inspired my flash piece Burning Birds. I wrote it after I'd found out I was pregnant. I thought I'd share it today as it's one of my favorite pieces. I hope you like it too :)

Burning Birds
by
H.E.Eigler

I was split years ago. I don’t feel the pain anymore but sometimes I awaken from a dream to the smell; the smell of burning from deep inside myself. It was lightning that hit me, split me and I’ve not been the same. Not really.

The surface wounds have healed and the moss holds me together. Most days I don’t even notice that my innermost self is out on display for the world to see. Most days I can feel like I used to. Quiet, reserved, stately – what a tree should be. But recently, there has been activity down in the crevice.

There is now life where the burning used to be. Birds. They’ve nested inside and I can feel their wings flutter. At first I was anxious about their presence. I would worry there wasn’t enough room for them, that I couldn’t provide what they needed. But now I wonder if I will miss them when they are gone. When it is just me and the moss and the quiet will they think of me as home?

Until then, I wait and feel them with me. I listen to their songs and cherish the company because even in a forest, life as a tree is lonely. I used to think it was what I wanted. Solitude. But since the birds came, I know I want more.

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What time of day are you Creative Moms in the mood?

I know personally, that my brain works its best creative magic later in the day - just before midnight. I've always known this as sometimes I find it hard to fall asleep because my mind is scheming and planning away. Since going back to work means getting up early, I've found myself tired and in need of going to bed much earlier. Around 10 or 11 at the latest. My creative mind hasn't adjusted so well to this time switch.

I'm going to seriously think about this predicament and see what I can do about it. I might have to try writing on my lunch break and see how that goes...I feel the problem is, I don't take a regular lunch break and I often eat at my desk while working. This might need to change. Maybe my brain will work just fine creatively over lunch. I need to find out.

How about you? What time of day do you find it convienient to get creative? And is this your optimal productive time? Maybe you're a freak morning person and you get down to business before the rest of the house wakes up. Let me know what works for your creative mom self -I just might have to try it too.

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Got 60 seconds? Write a story!

Go to One Word. Read the prompt. Write.

Time is not an excuse this go round Mammas!

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Trends - What do you love? What do you hate?

I'll confess: I'm a writer at heart, and a lover of words. Lately, I have noticed 'chat speak' sneaking into everyday language. I'm guilty myself of sneaking in an OMG or WTF (a personal favorite) here and there in informal correspondence like emails or plurks.

But

It's going a little far now people. Hearing Rachel Ray call extra virgin olive oil - EVOO makes me want to pop her between the eyes. Same goes for when people use BFF in conversation. Keep it to the medium it was intended for - electronic means, like text messaging and instant messages.

Am I the only one who cringes over this? Why let it slip into speech? Are we really that lazy or is it trying to be a part of a trend? Maybe this is the proof that I am getting old (my 30th is coming up fast!).

Think about your own creative medium. Do you see any trends cheapening or threatening the integrity of what you do? Are you embracing them or do you scoff and maintain the 'old' ways.

What one finds the norm, another likely will find cheap - I wonder what old time journalists think of blogging? I'm sure it makes their skin crawl. Take a trip through the comment section and let me know what you think. TTYL! (Yes, that was intended as sarcasm.)

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On being funny

I'm working on a writing project right now and I want it to have a touch of funny. It's been my experience that whenever I try to implement a specific strategy to elicit a certain emotional response from the reader, I feel as though I'm bleeding from my brain. It is HARD to be funny! I have so much respect for writers who can pull it off day after day.

When I write, I like it to flow easily and the end result is what it is. I can do some editing to clean it up. I can add some information to reinforce an idea. I can remove some information to increase tension but for the most part, it flows out my fingers into the computer and that's it.

What about you? If you try to design a piece of jewelry with a certain feel does it work well or do you just go with the flow?

If you are focused on a technique for a painting do you succeed?

I'm interested to see how this conundrum translates over to other mediums - share in comments.

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Keep inspiring things close

There aren't many physical things that I feel attached to. To be honest, if we somehow lost everything there are only a handful of items that I might mourn. One is pictured at left; an antique Underwood typewriter.

When I saw it in a junk shop, I had to have it. I don't remember what we paid, but it was more than I had the right to spend on an unnecessary item at the time. It was a hot day and the shops were closing. I was under pressure to decide or let it go. I couldn't walk away from it and hubby somehow understood what I couldn't articulate. He paid the clerk and lugged it back to the car for me.

When I look at it, I can imagine someone labouring away on their writings. What they are working on I don't know but I can understand the force required to pound those keys. The frustration at making a mistake which isn't easily fixed and the desire to keep going regardless.

I've never used it myself. It does work but I can't manage to get my hands on a ribbon. Instead it sits on the corner of my desk - next to where I use my laptop. It is an inspiring object for me; of what has been, what could be and how to get there.

What items do you keep close? Do you have one that inspires you in your craft? Tell me about it in comments.

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Being busy beyond belief encourages focus

I was standing in the shower this morning doing the zombie stance. Head back, water hot, eyes closing not because of steam, but because I was falling asleep standing up. And I started to wonder if I was taking on too much.

There's this blog, the new blog, the Chicken Soup essay, a new weekly contribution which I'll talk more about at another time plus working full time and raising a one year old.

Yesterday, some family dropped by with some books for Little H and it was sort of unexpected. I couldn't let them in the house. It was verging on dirty with cat fur covering the sofa and little H's cast offs still on the floor from the last meal. I suggested we take Little H and their 5 year old to the park next door instead.

As I let the conditioner work on my hair, I stared at some soap scum on the tile and I started feeling guilty about the state of my house. I started wondering how I will manage all of this, and how I've been managing it until now.

I realized that the answer is in my focus. I've been thinking fast on the topics at hand because I can't afford not to. I find myself narrowing in on my goals, choosing my activities wisely, defining what it is I want to accomplish and striving towards that. So housework isn't in my top ten must dos. We aren't wallowing in filth or anything like that, but I would like things a bit more orderly. One day we'll get there - when Little H can understand she needs to play in her room so I can scrub a toilet. Until then I'm ok with what's going on because I'm doing what's important to me. I'm working towards my goals and I'm spending lots of time with my daughter who doesn't care if all her cute onesies are in the wash and I've dressed her in a not so cute one. And I did make a very nice chicken stew for dinner last night, I was happy about that.

I got out of the shower feeling much better about myself and where I've chosen to spend my time. I felt refreshed and ready to start my day - then I brushed my teeth with hubby's toothbrush. Maybe I should put 'sleeping' a little higher up on the to do list ;p

ps - image from wikipedia - that's not my shower, mine is grosser than that!

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Recognizing your influences - Part 2 of 2

In my last post I wrote about recognizing our influences. Today, I'd like to discuss using this information now that we've revealed what it is.

There are two ways we can go here. We can embrace our influences and work towards incorporating them as much as we can while still maintaining our originality, or, we can shut them out and see where our mind wanders when it finds itself in unfamiliar territory.

So what does this mean really?

1) Embracing our influences.

How do we go about incorporating everything we love and still remain truthful to ourselves? The key is in our awareness. In order to include or exclude anything we must be aware of our inclinations and that is why my previous post was important. If you haven't done a little self study exercise go and do so.

Once we know why it is we do the things we do; we are free to pick and choose which techniques, which feelings, which voice to incorporate into any given project. Not only can we choose what we want to do openly, we will recognize when we are losing ourselves amongst our influences.

2) Shutting out our influences.

In the opposite direction we can attempt to abandon what we know and forge ahead into uncharted territory. This is going to be more difficult as our influences are so ingrained into us that they may even form the basis of our creativity. However, we can take drastic measures here. If we normally write in prose, we may switch to poetry. If we normally paint in oil, we can switch to sculpture. If we are comfortable in sewing, what would happen if we picked up a paper art? Changing mediums gives us a higher chance of leaving behind our influences and seeing our basic creative nature show through. Will we create a masterpiece? It's unlikely. We will though, get in touch with ourselves and how we work when our instincts are challenged. We will have fun and we will learn. Teaching ourselves how to be creative in a new way will help us to carry over those new techniques into our medium of choice. Like remapping our brains, we will be able to see things afresh and it may be the key to breaking out of a creative rut.

I hope you take some time for self reflection. Think about your influences and what they mean to you. Be aware of why you do the things you do and it will only elevate your art. All the best to you in your endeavors.

by H.E.Eigler of Maternal Spark

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Recognizing your influences - Part 1 of 2

Novelist and Blogger Charles Gramlich of Razored Zen (which I read religiously) has recently posted on how our influences can affect how we create. He writes

Being “unconscious” of one's sources has potential risks and potential benefits. On the risk side, it’s possible to stay so close to the original that you are simply writing pastiche. On the benefit side, being unconscious of influences allows a seamless mix and match of many influences into the blend that makes up true creativity.

It's got me thinking about how this carries over to other mediums besides the written word. Singer/Songwriters often speak about their influences and often those artists were the ones their parents listened to. I remember my Dad listening to Elvis, Alice Cooper and some other band with a song called "Chicken Train" on our 8 track stereo. And my mother had a large country music collection including Alabama, Kenny Rogers and Waylon Jennings. These influences have a large part in what I listen to today and I love that I can trace it all back to those memories.

We all know the rich history behind painters and the huge influence they had on visual artists. Many visual artists will rattle off their favorites -Mattise, Picasso, and Cezanne. If you look closely, you can see those influences in their work and they are happy to speak of them. Same goes for photographers.

What about scrapbookers, knitters and crocheters or sewers or jewelers? Where do they find their influences? I would imagine the mothers and grandmothers who taught them their craft had most of that influence when it comes to technique but what about style? Influence can come from many places. What has influenced you and how does that play out in your work? Take a moment to think back to your childhood. What was around you then? Who was around you then? What were your passions, your interests? It is important that we understand what influences us so that we can harness or ignore it - which is what I'll write about in part 2 of this series. Comment about your own work. I'd love to hear about who you see in your craft.

by H.E.Eigler of Maternal Spark

image via wikipedia

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